USPTO Patents Application 10755843

Attorney Docket No. 505 1-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 2

Amendments to the Claims:

This Listing of the Claims replaces all previous listing of the claims.
Listing of the Claims:

1 . (Currently Amended) A device for the manipulation of a suspended particle in
an electric field gradient comprising:

a plurality of electrically isolated electrodes on a surface; and

a liquid composition on said plurality of electrodes, said liquid composition covering
said surface continuously between adjacent ones of said plurality of electrodes, said liquid
composition having an exposed liquid surface defining a liquid/air interface for suspending a
particle;

said plurality of electrodes configured to provide an electric field gradient for
transporting the particle suspended in said liquid composition at said liquid/air interface ; and

a particle suspended in said liquid composition at said liquid/air interface , wherein
said particle does not directly contact is spaced apart from said plurality of electrodes.

2. (Original) The device of Claim 1, wherein said liquid composition is selected
from the group consisting of perfluorinated oil, silicone oil, fluorocarbons, hydrocarbons,
and/or chemical and/or physical combinations thereof

3. (Canceled).

4. (Original) The device of Claim 1, wherein said particle comprises a solid
particle.

5. (Original) The device of Claim 3, wherein said particle comprises a fluid

droplet.

Attorney Docket No. 5051-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 3

6. (Original) The device of Claim 5, wherein said fluid droplet includes a carried
component suspended, dissolved, or solubilized therein.

7. (Original) The device of Claim 6, wherein said fluid droplet comprises water
and said carried component is selected from the group consisting of nanoparticles,
microparticles, surfactants, proteins, cells, viruses, drugs, toxins, chemical compounds, or
combinations thereof.

8. (Original) The device of Claim 6, wherein said fluid droplet comprises
hydrocarbon or an organic compound and said carried component is selected from the group
consisting of nanoparticles, microparticles, polymers, polymerizable monomers, surfactants,
silicone compounds, and/or combinations thereof.

9. (Original) The device of Claim 5, wherein said fluid droplet has a volume
between about 0.01 \xL and about 10 jiL.

10. (Original) The device of Claim 1 , wherein said plurality of electrodes are
configured to provide a first pathway for a first particle and a second pathway for a second
particle, said first pathway and said second pathway having an intersection for combining said
first particle and said second particle.

11. (Original) The device of Claim 1, wherein ones of said plurality of electrodes
comprises a conductive ring.

12. (Original) The device of Claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrodes are
configured in a two-dimensional matrix.

13. (Currently Amended) The device of Claim i [[1 1]], wherein said surface
includes a first side having said plurality of electrodes positioned thereon, and a second side

Attorney Docket No. 505 1-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 4

having a plurality of leads electrically connected to said plurality of electrodes, ones of the
plurality of leads being connected to an alternating current source, a direct current source or
ground, wherein the positions of said plurality of electrodes are selected to provide a dynamic
non-uniform electric field pattern for transporting a particle along a pathway.

14. (Currently Amended) The device of Claim I [[1 1]], wherein said plurality of
electrodes have a length of between about 0.1 and about 1 mm and a distance between
adjacent ones of said plurality of electrodes between about 0. 1 mm and about 1 mm.

15. (Original) The device of Claim 1, further comprising a power source
connected to said plurality of electrodes, said power source configured to provide an
alternating current (AC) voltage of between about 50 V and about 500 V at a frequency
between about 50 Hz and about 500 Hz to ones of said plurality of electrodes.

16. (Original) The device of Claim 1, further comprising a power source
connected to said plurality of electrodes, said power source configured to provide a direct
current (DC) voltage between about 20 and about 500 V to ones of said plurality of
electrodes.

17. (Original) The device of Claim 1, wherein said plurality of electrodes are
configured to provide an electric field gradient for applying force to a droplet suspended in
the liquid fluid in opposing directions for separating the droplet into two droplets.

18. (Currently Amended) A method for the manipulation of a suspended particle
in an electric field gradient comprising:

configuring a plurality of electrodes on a surface to provide an electric field gradient
for transporting a particle;

applying a liquid composition on the plurality of electrodes, the liquid composition
having an exposed liquid surface defining a liquid/air interface for suspending a particle;

Attorney Docket No. 505 1 -668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 5

suspending the particle in the liquid compositio n at said liquid/air interface ;

applying a voltage between selected ones of the plurality of electrodes to provide the
electric field gradient, the electric field gradient having a pattern that defines a pathway for
transporting the particle at said liquid/air interface ; and

transporting the particle along the pathway defined by the electric field gradient at said
liquid/air interface , wherein the particle does not directly contact is spaced apart from the
plurality of electrodes.

19. (Original) The method of Claim 1 8, wherein the liquid composition is selected
from the group consisting of perfluorinated oil, silicone oil, fluorocarbons, hydrocarbons,
and/or chemical and/or physical combinations thereof.

20. (Canceled).

21. (Original) The method of Claim 20, wherein the particle comprises a solid
particle.

22. (Original) The method of Claim 20, wherein the particle comprises a fluid

droplet.

23. (Original) The method of Claim 22, wherein the fluid droplet further
comprises a carried component suspended, dissolved, or solubized therein.

24. (Original) The method of Claim 23, wherein the fluid droplet comprises water
and the carried component is selected from the group consisting of nanoparticles,
microparticles, surfactants, proteins, cells, viruses, drugs, toxins, chemical compounds, or
combinations thereof.

25.

(Original) The method of Claim 23, wherein the fluid droplet comprises

Attorney Docket No. 5051-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 6

hydrocarbon or an organic material and the carried component is selected from the group
consisting of a nanoparticle, a microparticle, a polymer, a polymerizable monomer, a
surfactant, a silicone compound, and/or combinations thereof.

26. (Original) The method of Claim 23, wherein the fluid droplet has a volume
between about 0.01 juiL and about 10 \iL.

27. (Original) The method of Claim 18, wherein the pattern of the electric field
gradient further defines a second pathway, the first pathway and the second pathway having a
common intersection, the method comprising:

transporting a second particle along the second pathway; and

combining the first particle and the second particle at the intersection between the first
pathway and the second pathway.

28. (Original) The method of Claim 27, wherein the first droplet and the second
droplet comprise constituents of an assay.

29. (Original) The method of Claim 27, further comprising chemically reacting
constituents of the first droplet with constituents of the second droplet.

30. (Original) The method of Claim 27, wherein said combining step further
comprises forming a solid and/or encapsulated particulate product.

3 1 . (Original) The method of Claim 1 8, wherein ones of the plurality of electrodes
comprises a conductive ring.

32. (Original) The method of Claim 1 8, further comprising configuring said
plurality of electrodes in a two-dimensional matrix.

Attorney Docket No. 5051-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12, 2004
Page 7

33. (Original) The method of Claim 18, wherein the surface includes a first side
having the plurality of electrodes positioned thereon, and a second side having a plurality of
leads electrically connected to the plurality of electrodes, further comprising:

connecting ones of the plurality of leads to an alternating current source, a direct
current source or ground; and

selecting the positions of the plurality of electrodes to provide a dynamic non-uniform
electric field pattern for transporting the particle along the pathway.

34. (Original) The method of Claim 1 8, wherein ones of the plurality of electrodes
have a length of between about 0.1 and about 1 mm and the distance between electrodes
ranges from between about 0.1 mm to about 1 mm.

35. (Original) The method of Claim 18, further comprising applying an alternating
current (AC) voltage of between about 50 V and about 500 V at a frequency between about
50 Hz and about 500 Hz to ones of the plurality of electrodes.

36. (Original) The method of Claim 18, further comprising applying a direct
current (DC) voltage between about 20 and about 500 V to ones of the plurality of electrodes.

37. (Original) The method of Claim 1 8, further comprising:

providing an electric field gradient that applies force to a droplet suspended in the
liquid fluid in two directions; and

separating the droplet into two droplets by applying the electric field gradient.

38. (New) The device of Claim 1, wherein the particle is suspended in said liquid
composition at the liquid/air interface such that a portion of the particle contacts the liquid
composition and another portion of the particle contacts air at the liquid/air interface.

Attorney Docket No. 5051-668
Application Serial No. 10/755843
Filed: January 12,2004
Page 8

39. (New) The method of Claim 18, wherein the particle is suspended in said
liquid composition at the liquid/air interface such that a portion of the particle contacts the
liquid composition and another portion of the particle contacts air at the liquid/air interface.